The preparation of vinyl chloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, and other chlorinated hydrocarbons by chlorination or oxychlorination is well-known in the art. Unfortunately, the preparation of these materials leaves as by-products chlorine-containing materials for which there is no utility. These by-products tend to be toxic and pose a substantial disposal problem. The normal method of disposal of these by-products is by burning, although this is expensive since extra fuel must be added to burn the normally nonflammable chlorinated materials. Also, corrosion is very severe since both water and HCl are produced at high temperatures. The HCl produced is collected as an aqueous solution.
I have discovered that these by-products can be converted to useful products, ion exchange resins. Additionally, the process for converting these by-products to ion exchange resins also provide for recovery of a substantial portion of the chlorine values of the by-products as anhydrous HCl gas.